The Conventional production of razor blades cuts a steel strip mechanically.
JP-A-9-510401 entitled “RAZOR BLADE MANUFACTURE”, for example, discloses a manufacturing method of razor blades, in which a coil employed as a raw material is stamped, straight grooves (openings) are formed by slitting knives, then heat-treated for hardening, and finally split into end-products.
The method is excellent for improving productivity, because forming grooves, hardening, and splitting are sequentially processed on a coiled steel strip.
With regard to the steel strip employed as a raw material in the method disclosed in JP-A-9-510401, grooves are formed on an as-rolled steel strip by the slitting knives. In this case the slitting knives must be positioned with high precision. Moreover, there poses a problem that abrasion of the slitting knives increases as the feeding rate of the strip of raw material increases. Thus, it is impossible to increase the feeding rate of the strip of raw material.